In what some are heralding as a watershed moment for gay rights in U.S. history, the Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a provision of a law denying federal benefits to married gay couples and cleared the way for the resumption of same sex marriage in California.

In New Orleans, locals spoke out about what the ruling meant for them, and what it means for gay rights in their hometown. Some celebrated the decisions as a major step forward for civil rights while others, including religious leaders, mourned it as a setback for traditional marriage and the families it supports.

"It's very big. This says that our relationships and our love is equal now in the eyes of the federal government," said the Rev. Gail Minnick, who is the interim pastor at the Metropolitan Community Church of New Orleans.

While praising the court's ruling, Minnick said the fight for equal rights in the state of Louisiana is still just beginning.

"Unfortunately, New Orleans and the state of Louisiana supported DOMA as it was written. The fight needs to come here, as well as to the 38 other states (that ban gay marriage), to say, 'We challenge you'" Minnick said.

"If all gay people wanted to move to states where it's legal, then they would be fine. But a lot of people don't want to move. A lot of people love living in Louisiana, it's their home," said Minnick, adding that the next step in the LGBT battle for New Orleans residents will be to fight for the legalization of gay marriage in the state of Louisiana.

Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage get mixed reactions locally Today was a monumental day for gay rights supporters. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a provision of a federal law denying federal benefits to married gay couples. They also struck down California's Proposition 8, making way for the resumption of same-sex marriages in that state. Locally, the rulings were met with mixed opinions.

The court's ruling on California's Proposition 8, which left in place a trial court's declaration that the original proposition was unconstitutional, was particularly good news to Minnick, who in September 2008 was married to her longtime partner and has been waiting for the day that her marriage would be legally recognized in the state of California.

"We were part of the 18,000 people who didn't know what our status was. So today ... I called my partner and I said, 'Congratulations! We're now legal - again,'" she said.

The outcome of the court's ruling is expected to allow California state officials to order the resumption of same-sex weddings in about a month.

Ambush magazine columnist and a leading voice on gay history in New Orleans, Frank Perez, said he was "ecstatic" about the court's ruling.

"I don't know how to express how happy I am, it's just such a great day," he said.

"The ruling today shows how far we've come and how far our country has come; it's encouraging," Perez said.

While homosexual couples are still not legally able to get married in the state of Louisiana, Perez says that the gay community should still consider this as a big victory in the fight for equal rights.

"The stubbornness of our state Legislature will not stop us," he said.

On the other end of the spectrum, New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond met with reporters Wednesday where he firmly reiterated the Catholic Church's long-standing support for DOMA but said that while he found the court's ruling "disappointing", he was not surprised.

"I don't think that it's surprising. It was pretty clear, I thought, that we were headed in this direction," Aymond said.

"I think the ruling is disappointing, because I think the ruling provides another movement towards the eroding of traditional marriage -- that privileged relationship between a man and a woman when they commit themselves to one another for life," he said.

Aymond said he fears that redefining marriage will have lasting effects on the country and society and that the church's mission now is to do focus its efforts on the younger parishioners, while preaching the Catholic values.

"We, in holding on to these values, are saying that we believe in the Bible and that we believe in the definition (of marriage) that the Bible gives us. We want to have our young people grow up with that understanding," Aymond said.

Aymond said that the church and other religious leaders plan continue to be in conversation with the government and that he strongly doubts whether gay marriage will ever become legal in Louisiana.

"As we know, this state, and New Orleans in many ways, is a very traditional thinker in all of this. I would be very surprised if that happened in the state of Louisiana," said Aymond.

"But we have to continue to make sure that our voice is heard," he said.